There’s something quietly terrifying about the idea that power, money, and a carefully curated public image still can’t keep the people you love safe. That’s the cold truth at the center of Animals, the new crime thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck, arriving on Netflix (and in select theaters) on October 9.
Affleck plays Mark Kimball, an LA mayoral candidate living what looks like the perfect life. He’s got the ambitious career, the beautiful home, and a wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), who stands beside him through the grind of politics. Then their son is kidnapped. Suddenly the campaign trail, the glossy photos, and the carefully measured speeches don’t matter. What matters is finding the ransom money, while most of their resources are already tied up in the race for office.
What follows isn’t just a race against the clock. It’s a slow, bruising unraveling. Mark and Abigail are forced to make choices that dig into the private corners of their lives, the ones they never planned on anyone seeing. Secrets surface. Loyalties get tested. And the polished image of a political family starts to crack in ways that feel painfully human.
The supporting cast only deepens the tension. Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and others orbit the Kimballs as the situation spirals, each bringing their own quiet intensity to a story that never lets you fully settle. Affleck, who also co-wrote the script, directs with a steady hand, leaning into the dread of ordinary people pushed into extraordinary, ugly decisions rather than relying on flashy set pieces.
Animals isn’t interested in easy heroes or tidy resolutions. It’s about what happens when the safety net you thought you had turns out to be thinner than you realized, and the people closest to you become the ones who have to decide how far they’re willing to go.
It lands on Netflix October 9. One night, one decision after another, and a family that may never look the same.
Leave a Reply